LoudMouthed
by Shoujo's Revenge
Summary: [discont] Ritsuko Amano's biggest flaw is that she badmouths people then she gets in trouble. So when her boss, Seto Kaiba, catches her badmouthing him in front of his employees Ritsuko wished that she kept her big mouth shut. KxOC
1. Chapter 1

Title: Loud-Mouthed

Author: PhoenixKaen

Genre: Romance/Humor

Summary: Ritsuko Amano's biggest flaw is that she badmouths people then she gets in trouble. So when her boss, Seto Kaiba, catches her bad-mouthing him in front of his employees; Ritsuko wished that she kept her big mouth shut. KxOC

Rated: T

Disclaimer: Kazuki Takahashi owns the Yu-Gi-Oh series.

Here he was, appearing to be busy creating a new computer program. When in reality, he was staring at a blank word processor. He was trying to think of words for a sappy poem that he was going to write. He just can't think of any yet. He tapped his fingers impatiently on his desk. He looked around his office to get some inspiration; he spotted a pen. He picked and looked at his silver pen. His name was engraved on the side. _I like your hair. Whenever I look at your beautiful hair, I am reminded of precious silver. _Okay, so Seto Kaiba was a genius at computer and game programming but when it came to love poems; he wasn't as great. He threw the pen aside in frustration.

"I sound like an idiot," he muttered to himself, clicking away at his mouse. He peered surreptitiously around his office. No one was here but him.

He clicked on the icon marked 'My Documents' and then on a folder marked confidential. Once again, he made sure that he was completely alone. Once the folder opened, he clicked on an icon called 'BEWD'. Instead of the picture of his favorite duel monster, out came a picture of a 16-year-old girl with blonde hair and green eyes. The girl's identity was Amano, Ritsuko but it was named BEWD, just in case, someone was to discover this file.

"Hi, nii-sama! What are you doing?" A familiar voice broke into Kaiba's thoughts.

"Mokuba! What are you doing here!" Kaiba asked, jumping a little. He tried to cover up the computer screen with his body. "I mean, what are you doing here?" He asked more calmly, trying to appear nonchalant. His little brother, however, wasn't easily fooled.

"What are you looking at, nii-sama?" Mokuba asked with a wide smile on his face.

"Nothing," lied Kaiba. He was blushing. He was still standing in front of his computer, blocking the picture of his youngest employee.

"Okay, then," Mokuba said, appearing none too interested. His older brother let out a sigh of relief as he walked out of the door. "I'll leave you and Ritsuko-san's picture alone." The last sentence made Kaiba to yell his little brother's name but the latter had already ran off, snickering. Kaiba sat down again on his comfortable leather chair, looking briefly at Ritsuko's picture. He sighed.

It had been a year since he had hired this girl. He didn't exactly know what it was about her. After about two months, he found himself daydreaming about her sometimes. Sure, she had a habit of coming to work late. Almost everybody in the company loses focus because of her playfulness. Although, she was a hard worker and her knowledge in the game field was amazing. She was pretty with her long and straight blonde hair, her green-eyed gaze and her pink lips. She was also a boisterous person who couldn't shut her mouth if her life had depended on it. Still, he still found her to be alluring. The only problem is that the said girl doesn't seem to have an interest in him at all.

So today he was going to try to woo her with a sappy poem. He had no experience in this field but heard that women love it when men write them poems, no matter how horrible. Another idea of Kaiba's was to buy her flowers and candy but he had overheard her saying to another employee that it was "corny and cliched." Mokuba had suggested the idea of writing a poem. Writing a poem wasn't exactly original though the poem itself would be original as it is in his own words. No "roses are red and violets are blue" crap but **his **own words. And he is _not _a cliched person at all. Now if only he was a poem kind of a person...

"All right. Write a poem. I can do this. This'll be easy. A poem is just an expression of my feelings, my emotions, so..." Kaiba said to himself. His fingers were positioned above the keyboard, ready to type. He stared at the blank word processor again and then the keyboard. A picture of Ritsuko appeared in his mind and he was ready to go.

_Your hair is like...rays of golden sunshine. That _is _cliched! _He pressed the backspace button. The screen was blank again.

_Sometimes when I catch you sleeping, slumped over your desk _

_Your golden hair is in disarray and I brush it back _

_When I do, my fingers feel how silky your hair is_

_Sometimes when I hear you talking, _

_I imagine myself kissing you so you can quiet down_

_Sometimes when I see you come to work wearing that tight blouse,_

_Your chest is..._He stopped typing. _I'll be lucky if she doesn't slap me. _Once again, he pressed the backspace button.

_This is hard! _He put his head down on his desk. He closed his eyes. One of his eyes opened again. What was that sound? He listened intently. He could hear laughter and if he wasn't mistaken, he could also hear Ritsuko's voice. He got up and walked out of his office.

"...carry a horse's child than carry his!" Ritsuko said. Her co-workers laughed uproariously. "I'd rather become a lesbian than be with that pompous jackass!" Once again, Kaiba's employees laughed at their boss' expense. "No, wait, wait! I mean, really, I would go out with him if he would gain more weight. If he was so rich, why doesn't he hit the gym once in a while? If he wants, I'll even buy him a membership at a gym!"

"Ritsuko-chan, don't be so mean! I don't think he's that bad. If I was a few years younger and he was interested in me..." one of her female colleagues, Jennifer, said.

Ritsuko put her arm around Jennifer. "Jenny-chan, you're such a good person. I think that if you went out with him, it would so good for him." Jennifer blushed at this comment.

"I really mean it. At least that way, Kaiba would get laid and wouldn't be as uptight!" The laughter suddenly subsided. Ritsuko looked at every one of her colleagues' previously happy now turned grim faces.

"He's right behind me, isn't he?" Her fellow employees nodded and pointed behind her. She slowly turned around, afraid of whom she knows she'll see.

"Oops," Ritsuko said.

---PKPKPKPKPK---

"You made fun of him and got caught!" Ritsuko's sister, Kyoko exclaimed. Ritsuko just nodded and lowered her head in shame.

"I've always talked about him behind his back. I never thought he'd actually catch me this time!" Ritsuko said, covering her face.

"He didn't fire you, did he?" Kyoko said cautiously.

"Surprisingly, no...Not yet anyway." Ritsuko sat in silence with her fingers interlaced. Her green eyes scanned the ceiling in thought. "What do you think he's got planned? I mean, he's not gonna exactly let this go. He _is _Seto Kaiba, for Kami-sama's sake! He will get his revenge on me one way or another!"

"I'm actually glad you got caught," Kyoko said, surprising her little sister. She casually crossed her legs and started to read a magazine. "WHAT! What kind of sister are you? Why would you wanna unleash that kind of hell on your own sister!" Ritsuko said dramatically.

"This is a good lesson. This teaches you to stop saying such awful things about people. Maybe now you'll actually grow up," Kyoko said calmly. Ritsuko looked ready to pounce on her sister. However, the light-blonde 16-year-old thought that would appear unprofessional._ I'll just have to pound on her later. _She thought. She made herself comfortable on the red felt sofa and turned on the television. She flipped to her favorite sitcom and tried to concentrate. Although, she couldn't help but remember her boss' livid face. _He was more than mad; he was downright pissed off._ Ritsuko groaned inwardly. _Why the hell did I have to open my big mouth! _

One of her biggest flaws is that she could never seem to express her dislike for certain people without badmouthing them. The worst part was that she always managed to get caught.

The next morning, Ritsuko woke up feeling much better compared to yesterday's feeling of anxiety. She went into the kitchen after doing her bathroom duties, where Kyoko was making breakfast, eggs and bacon. The siblings said their 'good mornings' cheerfully though on the inside, Ritsuko was a wreck. _He's gonna fire me today. He's gonna fire me today. He's gonna fire me today. _She didn't pay attention to her coffee, which Kyoko had placed in front of her. It wasn't until the searing pain that she felt from the steaming hot coffee that she realized she had knocked over her coffee mug. Great, now she had to dread being fired _and _walk with numb thighs.

Standing on the crowded bus, Ritsuko was preoccupied so that a hand reached out to touch her leg but she brought her heavy briefcase down on the owner's head. The lecher withdrew his hand with a pained groan. The bus halted to her stop. She kicked the lecher's shin with her high-heeled boots before getting off. From her stop, she ran all the way to KaibaCorp. She wasn't officially late, that is, if she can reach within five minutes. Ritsuko checked her silver watch and shrieked, gaining more speed.

"Damn! I'm gonna be late!" Her high heels clicked loudly as she raced to the building's entrance. She finally reached it, ran in and to the elevator, repeatedly pressed the up button, cursing under her breath. She and other employees waited until one of the elevators opened. The former tapped her left foot impatiently. Finally, an elevator started to open. Ritsuko brightened up slightly but her expression dropped rapidly. "Damn it! Why you!" The words just tumbled out of her mouth. She gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth. _Unemployment office, here I come. _

"Why me?" She asked audibly. Her co-workers could hear her and so could her boss. The latter cleared his throat and beckoned her into the elevator. This gesture signaled privacy; everybody except Kaiba on the elevator got off and Ritsuko got in while the others waited for another available elevator. She could see the sympathy on her co-workers' faces. Once the doors closed, the silence between the two started. Ritsuko wanted to say something to rectify the situation though all she could think of now was _I'm not that late._ She rolled her eyes. _Sure, that'll really convince him to keep me. _She peered at him anxiously, wishing that he would say something.

He just stood there stiffly, seeing if the elevator had reached the 90th floor yet. Ritsuko sighed. Earlier she was sure that she was getting fired so she made sure to dress nicely. This way, she would just go straight to the unemployment office straight from KaibaCorp. She was wearing a light pink blazer, a white blouse underneath and a light pink skirt. Her layered blonde hair was tied back into a half ponytail. On her feet were dark high-heeled boots.

The silence was pressing in on Ritsuko. She was about to burst from boredom when "'So you'd rather and I quote "become a lesbian than be with that pompous jackass?'" Kaiba suddenly said, his blue eyes glaring at her. She shrunk visibly under his gaze. "Um..."She uttered, avoiding his face altogether. "'If the world was to end, you'd rather bear a horse's child than mine?'" He continued to quote her. Ritsuko didn't think that she had sweated that much in her life. "If I was so rich, why don't I hit the gym once in a while?" She could hear the anger rising in his tone now. "'Kaiba wouldn't be so uptight if he got laid!'"

_The silence was so much better..._Ritsuko thought as she endured his yelling.

A/N: I know that Kaiba is out-of-character here but for some reason, it's hard for me to write him in character. Though I will try my best. As for Ritsuko, I know that some of you might think that she's a trash-talking bitch but that's the kind of character I was aiming for. I wanted to create a love interest that's different than most. She doesn't like Kaiba in a romantic or in a normal way; she hates him. She dropped out of school but her IQ is equivalent to Kaiba's, loves to work and is quite independent. She still lives with her parents and her older sis though (only because her parents forced her to.) Anyway, I hope all of you will remain with me and endure Ritsuko's loudmouth. Please review.


	2. Revised Chapter 1

Title: Bad-Mouthed

Author: To Avoid Temptation

Summary: Ritsuko Amano's biggest flaw is that she badmouths people then she gets in trouble. So when her boss, Seto Kaiba, catches her bad-mouthing him in front of his employees; Ritsuko wished that she kept her big mouth shut. KaibaxOC

Disclaimer: Kazuki Takahashi owns the Yu-Gi-Oh series.

Chapter 1: Emancipation

_italic-_a character's thoughts

_italic with occasional "quote" are memories_

"'The most sought after bachelor?'" Ritsuko asked, reading the title of an article in a magazine. Jennifer Ohyama, the woman who sat next to her, looked over the blonde's shoulders.

"Oh, yeah," she said, sipping her coffee. "That is pretty much true. My own daughter would do just about anything to be his girlfriend." Ritsuko blinked with a blank look.

"You have a daughter? How come I don't know that?" She said, hiding the lower half of her face behind the magazine.

Jennifer sweatdropped. "I always talk about her." The teenage girl continued to look perplexed.

"You do?"

"One of these days you have to listen to what I say," Jennifer said. Ritsuko also took a sip of her plain black coffee. Contrary to many people, she never did like sweet things. Her green eyes speed-read the article about her boss. The article mostly concentrated on how handsome, how rich and less of how successful he is. She could only deduce that a fangirl wrote this article.

"I don't get it." Ritsuko finally put down the magazine. "Why does everybody make such a big deal about him? If half his fanclub worked for him, they wouldn't be swooning over him. Don't misunderstand me though, I do respect him."

"Heheh Ritsuko-chan, you've never had a crush on anybody, have you? Sometimes people do wonder if you're a lesbian. Me? I just think you're a late bloomer." Jennifer said, smiling. Ritsuko blushed.

"I am not! I have my monthly menstrual cycle, you know. I might not be as big as you either but they're still growing!" Ritsuko fumed. Jennifer calmed her down.

"I don't mean it like that. I just meant one day you'll be attracted to a guy. When that day comes, you know you've matured a little. It's a bit strange though. You and Mr. Kaiba are pretty much alike. Maybe your first crush will be him," Jennifer said. She reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. In his office, Seto Kaiba sneezed. Was someone talking about him?

"Jenny-chan," she said. Even though Jennifer was older than Ritsuko, the latter was welcome to address her as though they were best friends. "Hmm?" Jennifer answered.

"My onee-san and my mom said something like that once. My dad is anxious for me to have a boyfriend. I don't understand the big deal. I think I'm capable to take care of myself."

"Your father, I've met him before. Remember when you had that birthday party? You invited me to it. I've talked to your father. He talks a lot about you, how worried he is about you but also of how proud he is of you. I think he wants you to have a man that'll take care of you. In my opinion, while you're very intelligent, you're also lonely," she reflected. _I noticed your party didn't have any teenagers. Rit-chan, you don't have any friends your age, do you? I wonder when you were excelling in school, did you ever cry alone in your room? _

Ritsuko smiled and laughed. "What are you talking about? I can't be lonely when I have people that care for me. I have parents that still fuss over me, a big sister that watches over me and everybody else here. Most of you are friendly and treat me like an equal. I can't ask for more." Her eyes had a faraway look.

Jennifer, however, didn't smile. From the time that she laid eyes on the young girl, she sensed a vulnerable aura from her. She had met her when Ritsuko had wandered into the KaibaCorp building, soaking wet. It had been raining that night. Jennifer thought this girl shouldn't be out this late. Taking pity on her, she took the confused looking girl to her cubicle to dry off. She drove her back home to Ritsuko's grateful family. That was about a year ago. She never thought she'd see the girl again. Then one day (earlier this year), when she returned from her lunch break, she saw the same girl in a beige feminine business suit. She had neither job experience nor any high school or college education. Besides the CEO, she was the youngest person there. The woman thought she was a fool for trying. To her great surprise, Ritsuko was hired. She started immediately the next day. From then on, the older woman decided to watch over this girl. The other employees seemed to like her, especially for her sense of humor. They became her friends. There still seemed to be a distance between Ritsuko and her co-workers. It was the same with her family members.

"You walk alone in the dark," the brunette woman whispered. Ritsuko asked her what she said. "It's nothing important."

"Hmm..." Ritsuko picked up the magazine and looked through the article again. "It says here that our boss' birthday is October 25th. That's tomorrow."

"Yeah, but if you say anything about it, he'd probably reprimand you for caring about that instead of work. Hey, isn't your birthday next month, also on the 25th? What do you want for your birthday?" Jennifer leaned on the back of her hand. Ritsuko absentmindedly flipped through one of her older friend's shopping catalogs.

"You don't have to get me a gift. You should care more about what your husband and daughter want for their birthdays," she said, seeming interested in something in the catalog. Her friend snatched it away from her.

"Let's see what you're gawking at." There was a picture of a silver charm bracelet with a heart charm hanging off it. "You want a charm bracelet? It's not that expensive...Okay, that's what I'm gonna get you this year!" Jennifer announced. Ritsuko was already walking away dispiritedly from Jennifer's desk.

"Hey, Rit-chan! How you doing today?" The guy that gives everybody their mail said cheerfully to Ritsuko. The latter put up a hand to acknowledge him but didn't say anything. "Rit-chan, is everything okay?" She ignored him. "What's wrong with her, Jen?" He asked her, handing her a small stack of letters. She shrugged.

"She looked through this catalog then when I told her I'll get her a charm bracelet. She just left."

"She's usually happy. A little _too _happy, don't you think?" He reflected. "A young girl like that should be in high school. Whenever I mention the word 'school' though, she quiets down. I think she had a bad high school experience."

"Yeah..." is all Jennifer said.

"_There's no way in hell you're going to work! You're going to finish high school and graduate like a normal teenage girl. After that, you're going to college then you can go to work. You're only fifteen! You have no experience in the business world!" Isamu Amano, Ritsuko's dad argued._

_For the first time in her life, Ritsuko glared at her father. "Dad, I'm not happy in school. I'm not dropping out because I'm lazy or I'm a troublemaker. I can still learn without being in school. School just isn't for me. Work is for me. I want to excel in the business world."_

"'_Excel in the business world'? You say it like it's so easy. Rit-chan, you're a teenage girl. Most girls your age go to high school. You should experience things high school has to offer like having your first crush like a normal teen."_

"_Ha! You keep bringing up the word 'normal'. A _normal_ teenage girl in Japan hikes up her uniform skirt, dye their hair a light color, put on make-up and press their hair. The _normal_ Japanese girl doesn't care about her schoolwork, she just cares about expensive brandname products, pop idols or about getting a boyfriend. The last thing they care about is schoolwork." _

"_Dad, Ritsuko, please stop arguing," Kyoko, Ritsuko's older sister said. She stood in-between them. They were both glaring at each other. "Dad, you should seriously consider this. Imouto-chan is miserable in school. I've seen her in class before. She's bored there. Her teachers say that she's advanced enough for college, even for Tokyo University. I trust that she'll succeed in the business world." _

"_Dear, you should calm down. Rit-chan's birthday is tomorrow. You two shouldn't be mad at each other; the family should be together celebrating tomorrow." Emi, Ritsuko and Kyoko's mom said. _

"_I just want you to be happy, Ritsuko," her dad said wearily. "You were always difficult to take care of. Always a handful ever since you were a little girl. I'm just so tired now."_

"_I'm sorry for being a handful, dad. I'm grateful that you and mom took care of me all these years. But right now, you're the one person I hate most." Ritsuko ran out of the living room, tears in her eyes._

"Is there anything you needed, Mr. Kaiba?" Ritsuko asked her boss, holding on the doorknob. She had just entered his office when he said 'come in.'

"Just organize those files I put on your desk. After you're finished, call my little brother and tell him I'm busy and won't be able to eat dinner with him tonight." He said, without looking up at her.

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba." She said, closing the door slowly. Before the door was fully closed, he looked up and caught a glimpse of her. Her blonde hair covered the side of her face. He thought she looked a little sad. Not that he cared whether or not any one of his employees were sad. He shrugged the image off his mind and continued to read a document. Ritsuko leaned on the polished wooden door. She was deep in thought. She thought about how his birthday was coming up tomorrow. A funny little memory floated up in her mind.

_She was just pouring more hot coffee in her mug when she heard two female employees gossiping near the cooler. _

"_Hey, Yuki. Remember last year on his birthday, when he received a mountain of gifts from his fangirls?"_

"_Oh, yeah. He was so annoyed. He ordered for them to be destroyed. Those poor girls, spending all their money on him and he was so ungrateful."_

"_Well, it's not like he asked for them."_

"_True but the least he could've done was give them to us. If he's not going to enjoy them, let us enjoy them." The latter giggled._

"_You know what I heard? There's a rumor going around that he's gay." Ritsuko choked on her coffee, trying to stifle a giggle. Thankfully, they didn't notice Ritsuko was eavesdropping on their conversation. Ritsuko was shaking with laughter while she wiped the coffee stain off her blouse. _

"_Personally I think it's true. Have you noticed how obsessed he is with that high school kid? The one that beat him in Duel Monsters."_

"_I don't know. I don't pay attention to that stuff."_

"_Sometimes I wonder how you work at this company." Ritsuko walked out of the employee's lounge, carrying her coffee mug. She tried to regain herself but was still shaking. Her coffee spilled little by little. The janitor that was mopping the floor looked annoyed at her. If he only knew what was going on in her mind...She was imagining Kaiba speaking like a stereotypical gay man. She imagined him wearing tight shirts and tight leather pants. How he would say 'Girl, those pants don't go with those shoes.' For weeks, she couldn't help giggling behind her hand whenever she looked at him. _

"Damn, I just had to remember that," she said, covering her mouth to keep herself from laughing. She took her place behind her desk and started to organize the files. The phone rang. She picked it up.

"Hello, Kaiba Corporation. How can I help you?" She said professionally.

"Hello, Rit! How is my adorable little sister?" Kyoko said loudly.

"Your adorable little sister is livid with you for disturbing her at work," Ritsuko said with mock sternness. "What do you want, onee-san?"

"Your onee-san wants you to join her for dinner. You get out in an hour, right? It's been a while since we've eaten out, just the two of us. I already told mom and dad." She said. Ritsuko groaned. She actually was pretty hungry. She wanted to have some delectable ramen noodles in a restaurant.

"I can't. My boss is going to be working late tonight. I probably have to work late, too. He didn't say anything about that yet though. Man, what I wouldn't give for a bowl of ramen noodles!" She stretched her arms, pressing the phone against her ear with her shoulder.

"Oh, I see. You have some overnight work, huh? Are you sure that's what it is?" Kyoko asked suggestively. "That's what he might say then when everybody else is gone. He'll get his opportunity to strike."

"You know the janitor stays overnight, too."

"Yeah but he'll tell the janitor to go home so he can have his way with you. That's usually what happens between a secretary and her boss. Most businessmen have affairs with their secretaries, you know."

"Most of those businessmen are in their mid-thirties or older and has a wife."

"You might be wearing a tight blouse. When it gets all dark, he'll be thinking that he wants to rip it off you and do you on your desk."

"DON'T BE SUCH A PERVERT!" Ritsuko shouted into the phone. Kaiba jumped when he heard her shout. "You've been reading way too much erotic novels. That's what happens when you're a horny working woman without a boyfriend." That struck a chord in Kyoko.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" She yelled but Ritsuko already hung up on her. "I was just kidding but she went too far." Ritsuko scoffed at the disturbing thought. "Kaiba ripping off my clothes? Oh, please, what an absurd idea. Not that I want that to happen." Kaiba beeped her. She blinked and pressed the button.

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?" She said.

"Miss Amano, this is a workplace. I'd like it if you talk to your boyfriend at home, not while you're in the office."

"But Mr. Kaiba, I don't have a boyfriend. I was talking to my sister."

"That's not the point here. I don't hire you so you can have personal phone calls. And keep it down."

"Sorry, Mr. Kaiba."

"Now get back to work."

"Uh-Mr. Kaiba, I don't have to stay overnight tonight, right? I mean, my sister invited me to dinner..." _Not that he would care. _

"If you want to keep your job, you will stay." With that, he stopped the conversation. At that moment, her stomach growled. "Bastard," she whispered, frowning. She looked at the clock on the opposite wall. It was six thirty. She sighed and thought: _This was what I wanted. _Her hand grabbed another file.

Several hours passed, Ritsuko wasn't used to pulling an all-nighter. Unlike regular students, she never procrastinated in doing her schoolwork or in studying. She didn't have to. She was already smarter than most people in the schools she attended. She never participated in extracurricular activities nor had any friends. Schoolwork was the only thing she did to kill time. From time to time, she would spend time with her family though, just on the weekends. Her family was usually busy at work or with housework.

"I'm hungry." Ritsuko yawned and stretched her arms. She looked out the tall glass window. It was dark outside. If all the lights in the city were extinguished, it would be pitchblack outside. Earlier Mokuba had arrived at the company, trying to plead with his brother to take a break. The latter just declined and apologized. Ritsuko overheard their conversation. She felt sorry for the younger Kaiba. Also, jealous. Secretly, she wanted Mokuba to invite her to dinner. He left dispirited. Ritsuko, wanting to be friendly, said good-bye to him. He looked up at her like he didn't notice she was there before.

"_Amano-san, you're still here?" He sounded surprised. She nodded, not looking particularly happy. _

"_I'd be fired if I left early," she sighed. She jabbed her thumb towards Kaiba's office, sticking her tongue out. Mokuba chuckled. "I'm sorry, Mokuba. We're sort of in the same boat. I wanted to dine with my sister, too." _

"_It must be hard working for my brother," he said, starting a conversation. "You have homework and you have to stay late at night." _

"_Oh, didn't I tell you? I'm a high school dropout." She said casually. She took out her wallet and took out a bill. She walked out the door, down to the hallway where a vending machine stood. Mokuba followed her._

"_Why did my brother hire you then? You should have at least a high school education." _

"_That's simple. I'm qualified. Being a secretary isn't exactly rocket science, you know." She pressed the button for a chocolate bar after putting the money in. She smiled as she said this. _

"_Do you live alone?" Mokuba's question surprised her. She blinked in confusion._

"No, why?" 

"_Usually high school dropouts are disowned by their parents."_

"_If I'm not mistaken, your brother doesn't appear in high school often, does he? He's still the CEO of a successful company. He's not a graduate of high school. Why should his secretary have a high school diploma?" Ritsuko was getting a bit annoyed. He caught the hint._

"_I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way." Ritsuko waved away his apology. _

"_It's okay. People always look at me with disapproval when they learn I'm a dropout. My parents approve of my working. They know I'm capable." She said, almost to herself, taking a bite of the chocolate bar. Just her luck. It was stale._

She looked at the watch. It blinked exactly twelve. She pressed the intercom button. "Mr. Kaiba, I'm finished with my work. Do you need me to mail anything or do you have something for me to do?" There was no answer. "Er...Mr. Kaiba? Hello, is anybody there?" Complete silence. She decided to test something. "Mr. Kaiba, are you gay?" She braced herself for his angry response. Nothing. "Are you ignoring me on purpose, sir? Don't tell me you already left without telling me?" Again, no response. An angry thought hit her. What if she was right?

She stood up abruptly, knocking her chair over. She opened the door to his office, expecting to see him look at her with contempt. Instead, the sight in front of her shocked her. "He's sleeping?" Ritsuko said. That was what it looked like anyway. His head laid on top of the papers that he was supposed to be looking over, his right hand still holding a pen rested on the desk. His other arm was drooping. _This is the first time I've seen him napping. Well, of course. What kind of boss falls asleep on the job himself? If I took his picture right now, I'd probably make millions selling it to girly magazines. Hey, is he drooling? And on important papers, too. I should probably leave now but he'll be in a worse mood tomorrow if he found out those papers were ruined with his drool. Worse mood means I take all the abuse. _

She sighed, walking towards his desk. She stood behind him and gently took the pen out of his hand. His grip was strong even when he was resting. She finally wrested it from his grip and set it down. His hand shifted but he remained sleeping. She took his left drooping arm and rested it on the desk so he would be more comfortable. Here came the hard part: extracting the papers from underneath his head. "Okay," she whispered. "I can definitely do this. I memorized the periodical table, I can definitely do this." Slowly, she reached her hand out to him. Kaiba stirred, mumbling sleepily and turned the other way. Ritsuko hit the floor, thinking he was waking up. Nothing happened, she whispered. "Mr. Kaiba?"

He didn't answer. She was glad but she was in pain. She fell hard on her butt. Rubbing her aching behind, she stood up and made sure. He wasn't moving. She straightened herself out. "Now to get this over with." She stood beside him, tapping him. He didn't stir. She proceeded with her plan. She put her hand under his hand. She was facing the back of his head. Gently she lifted him up enough so that she could take the papers. This was proving to be hard. Her arm was shaking under his head. She put him down gently. "Oh, Kami-sama! That hurts!" She whined quietly, shaking her arm. _Maybe I can pull the papers out. _She put her second plan in action. She stood next to him again, pulling the corners of the papers with all her might. His head was sliding along with the papers. "Damn!" She cursed. _I should just wake him up. Then again, he'd probably say: Miss Amano, what are you doing in my office? GET OUT! _

The phone rang. Ritsuko grabbed it before it rang a second time. Kaiba was still in a deep sleep. "Hello? This is Kaiba Corporation. How can I help you?" She whispered.

"Hello? Imouto-chan," Kyoko yawned. "Why aren't you home yet? I just woke up and checked on you. Your room is still empty."

"Onee-san, I need help." She explained the whole thing to Kyoko. The latter exclaimed.

"Just come home! Who cares if he drools on his papers? He can't blame it on you. It's his fault for falling asleep. If dad finds out you're not home, he's going to force you to quit. Remember his conditions for working. One of them is no working overtime. I covered for you today but if he finds out you're not home..."

"He never wakes up at this hour. Besides, your boss might be understanding but my boss is different. He'll find some way to blame it on me. Plus, my behind is killing me. His head is heavy."

"Um...Okay." Kyoko said, afraid to ask how her sister knew that. _That was pretty random. _"Just ditch your boss and get your stuff. I'm coming to pick you up. If you finished your work like you said, your boss won't be able to say anything." She hung up. Ritsuko did the same.

"All right, Mr. Kaiba. I'm going to have to do this as quick as possible." Ritsuko said, rubbing her hands together. She lifted his head again with her hand and used her other hand to snatch the papers. She succeeded. She smiled and set his head down gently. She made a face, looking at the drool. She grabbed a tissue and wiped at the papers, making 'ugh' sounds. She set the papers on the corner of his desk neatly. "Finally, I'm done for the day." Ritsuko exited the office.

It didn't take long for Ritsuko to collect her stuff. She sat behind her desk, waiting for Kyoko. It usually took about half-an-hour to get to KaibaCorp from her house. _I hope nothing happened to onee-san. _Thirty minutes already passed. She yawned, covering her mouth. Her eyes were tearing from exhaustion. Her boss might've been content with sleeping in his office but she wanted to go home and have a warm meal. Thinking about her boss, she just remembered.

"I almost forgot!" She cried. She was supposed to mail some important documents for him. She searched her desk for them. They weren't there. She tiptoed into Kaiba's office. She probably left them when she was supposed to take them with her before her lunch break.

Nearing his desk, she noticed his sleeping position changed. This time he was resting his head on his arms. She ignored his light breathing and searched on his desk, the bright moonlight helped. It wouldn't be wise to turn on a light. Turning over papers, she couldn't find the envelopes. "Where are they? He put them right here," she whispered, frustrated. "Wait. Did I mail them?" Ritsuko tried to remember. Did she go to the post office and forgot all about it? Her hand knocked over Kaiba's pen on the floor. It fell underneath his desk. She bent down to pick it up.

Meanwhile, Kyoko got out of her car, closing the door. She ran to the entrance where the lights were still on. On the way to KaibaCorp, Kyoko's car ran out of gas. She had to call her mom's cellphone and discreetly told her not to wake her dad up. She explained that Ritsuko was still at work. Her mom understood. If her husband knew Ritsuko wasn't home, he'd have a tantrum. She asked her mom to drive and help her. That's why she was late. After her car was filled, her mom drove back home and Kyoko continued to her destination.

Kyoko pulled the handle. It was locked. She knocked on the glass doors. "Hello, is anybody in there?" A janitor that was mopping up the floor, looked out. He signaled for her to leave. Muffled by the glass doors, he said, "It's closed. Go home." She knocked again.

"Please open up. My sister's still in there. Her name is Ritsuko Amano, your boss' secretary."

"No, go home. Only KaibaCorp employees are allowed in the building after hours." He argued.

Jennifer, who had to stay late with her co-workers, was just coming out of the elevator. She blinked, seeing the janitor angrily brandishing his mop at someone.

"Uh...Arakawa, are you all right?" She said, avoiding the parts where he mopped. He pointed to the person outside. "She claims her sister is still in here. I just want to finish mopping, lock the doors and go home." He said.

She looked at where he was pointing at. "Is that-Kyoko?" Jennifer rushed forward and remembered. Again, she walked to the dried parts of the floor. "That's Ritsuko's sister. Let her in, Arakawa." He cursed loudly and dropped his mop. Jennifer sighed. No one ever did like him. He took out a large ring of keys and took out a particular one. Kyoko thanked him but he didn't respond. He just went back to mopping.

"Aheh Just ignore him, he's like that," Jennifer said, directing Kyoko closest to the elevator. Ritsuko's sister didn't like the janitor already. "Kaiba didn't let Ritsuko go home, huh?" Kyoko didn't have to nod. Jennifer already knew the answer.

"She's not supposed to work late hours. Dad would force her to quit if he knew," she said with irritation. _Somebody's cranky, _thought Jennifer. "She's just sixteen-years-old. Your boss should be smart enough to know that it's dangerous for girls her age to go home this late. Dad only let her take this job because it's the only thing that made her happy. What floor does imouto-chan work on?" Jennifer went with her up the elevator. On the way up, Kyoko was grumbling about Ritsuko's boss. The other woman can tell she really cares about her little sister.

"You know, Ritsuko is a strange girl." Jennifer finally got a word in edgewise. The statement surprised the older Amano daughter. Then she turned away. The brunette woman continued. "Everybody here except Kaiba says Ritsuko should be in high school. Although, whenever anyone mentions school, she gets sad. I don't want to be nosy but did something happened to her? Another thing; it's not just me. Everybody else notices it. She never talks about friends her age. It's not exactly normal. If my daughter acted that way, I would be worried."

"If you don't mind, I don't want to talk about it," Kyoko said quietly. She crossed her arms and waited until they reached their destination. An awkward silence hung in the atmosphere.

Ritsuko bent down to pick up the pen. Her fingers reached out for it. When Kaiba moved again, one of the wheels of his chair trapped the hem of her black skirt. She was unaware of this. Her fingers brushed against the pen. She pushed her body forward and she grasped the pen. When she backed out from under the desk, she found she couldn't move. She looked back and squinted in the moonlight. _Damn, my skirt's caught! No! _She turned and kneeled, trying to free her skirt from the chair. To no avail. Contrary to his thin frame, he was quite heavy. Trapped under her boss' desk and her skirt was underneath his chair, this day was beginning to be a bad day. Could it get any worse? Kaiba muttered sleepily about 'being busy' and pushed in his chair. She gulped. If he puslatter did the same. She sighed. Kyoko noticed her face.

"What's wrong? Who was that?"

"Uh, that was your sister. She wants you to wait by the vending machine. She and Mr. Kaiba are just finishing up some work. She says she'll be right out," Jennifer said nervously. Kyoko looked at her.

"So he woke up, huh?" She asked plainly. The brunette nodded.

"So the vending machine's this way just down the hall." Jennifer showed her the way. Kyoko agreed then Jennifer was going to open the double doors.

"You're not coming with me?" Kyoko asked.

"I will but right now I want to talk to Mr. Kaiba. It's about an um... upcoming project. Yeah, that's it. It's a new game that we're coming up with. It's top secret so you can't listen to our conversation." Jennifer pushed Kyoko in the right direction.

"Fine. You just tell that jackass not to keep my sister this late anymore!" With that, Kyoko stormed down the hallway. Jennifer sighed out of relief. She opened the double doors. Shadows covered half of Ritsuko's desk and chair. There was another set of doors that actually led to Kaiba's office. She crossed the room to the doors. They were already open. Since they were already open...

She went in the office. As she neared the desk, she saw Kaiba's slumped figure.

"Jennifer, is that you?" Ritsuko's voice whispered. She had heard footsteps. Jennifer walked closer to the desk. "You were supposed to close the doors and knock on them!" Ritsuko groaned.

"If I wake him up, he'll find you under there. How are you going to explain that?" She asked. Ritsuko huffed. "Besides, I'll get you out of there."

In the end, Jennifer got Ritsuko out by lightly pushing Kaiba's chair a little to the left. Her black skirt was freed. She wiggled out from under the desk.

"Thanks. Now I can finally get home." Ritsuko sighed and stretched. When she looked back at her peaceful boss, she wondered how could he sleep through all this? She then noticed a pill bottle on the edge of his desk. Picking it up, she read the label. It was a bottle of prescribed sleeping pills. _He takes sleeping pills? _Then it dawned on her. "Oh, the stuff he wanted me to mail!" She rifled through his out-box and found them.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," Jennifer said, putting an arm around Ritsuko. The both of them left the office. The blonde slowly closed the double doors behind her. Suddenly, she found she pitied her irritating boss.

Finally, the three females left the KaibaCorp building. Jennifer drove a separate road to her house. While Ritsuko sat in the backseat while Kyoko drove home. She was lecturing her little sister. Kyoko's words went in one ear and out the other. Instead, she was thinking of her job interview with Kaiba. After he had heard her case, Kaiba had decided to give her a chance at his company. He wouldn't be able to begin to fathom how grateful Ritsuko was. She's still grateful. She was probably not one of the greatest secretaries he had but...

"Onee-san, is it okay if we make a stop?" Ritsuko asked when she spotted a brightly lit store. _Good. It's still open. _

At 1: 30 A.M., Ritsuko and Kyoko got home safely. The former got what she wanted from an all-night store. Unfortunately for her, when they returned home, they found their dad sitting on the sofa. He was furious. His arms were folded and he was staring right at the two, more at Ritsuko. Her older sister tried to cover for her but he wouldn't let her get a word in edgewise. So it was a showdown between Ritsuko Amano and Isamu Amano, two of the most stubborn and prideful people in the household. The short version was that Ritsuko didn't keep her part of the bargain so Isamu was forcing her to quit her job. It was a mess. His wife and Ritsuko's mom woke up from all the yelling. Kyoko and Emi were referees yet again. Finally, the blonde broke down, sitting with her face in her hands. She was sobbing. She felt miserable. She never thought her desire to be out of school would ruin her relationship with her dad.

"Dad, stop it! You're making her cry!" Kyoko yelled in midst of the confusion. She sat down beside her little sister and held her. Her sister has always been there for her, Ritsuko would always be grateful.

"Dear, stop this argument! I can't stand this anymore," Emi screamed. Ritsuko looked up and wiped her tears. She smiled at her supporting sister's concerned face.

"Imouto-chan..." Kyoko said, looking up at Ritsuko, who had just risen from the sofa.

"I'm sorry, mom. I'm going to end this argument right here and right now," she said. She had on a bittersweet smile. Her dad smiled, too. He saw that she was going to give in. That's what he thought anyway.

"Finally, you see it my way." He said in relief. "Do you want me to call your principal this afternoon and tell him you're going back to school?" She shook her head. A fresh tear rolled down her cheek but she still had on a sad smile.

"Dad, mom, Kyoko-onee-san," she said, bowing before them. "I'm sorry for all the grief I caused all of you. I see now that my eccentric needs are tearing this family apart. I want-" She stopped herself from emitting a sob. "I want to move out."

"What?!" Kyoko and Isamu gasped in unison. Ritsuko's mom, however, silently dropped on the sofa. The teenager continued, her head still bowed. "And I don't want any of your money. I'll make it on my own. I know that I might not make it. I know it may be an imprudent decision but I can't stand you holding the reigns of my life anymore, dad!" She burst out. "I sincerely thank you for all your love and for taking care of me all these years."

"No, Rit-Rit...What? Why? You can't! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there?" Kyoko tried to dissuade her decision. "If you left, we would be so worried...Dad? Mom?"

Isamu stood up. "Fine, you want to be emancipated. You've got it. I'll let you go through with this. I expect you out of here by this evening." He didn't look at anyone as he said this. Ritsuko smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll be out by lunch." She walked out of the living room as if nothing happened. Kyoko faced her dad but his gaze was not on anyone. Emi seemed to be in her own reverie.

"You're fucking kidding, right? Dad? You're not going to really let her go?"

He looked up at her, tears in his brown eyes. Behind them, it hid a pain. "I don't know what to do anymore. If this is what she wants, I'll let her go...If letting her go means she'll be happier then I'll do it. Kyoko, I know you think I'm making a foolish decision. But you'll never know what it's like to be a parent and never succeeding in making your child happy. I got her dress-up dolls, coloring books, stuffed animals, the latest toys; she was never happy to get any of them. All this time I've been trying to make her normal, repressing her intelligence has made her unhappy. I know that she resents me for that. This is one old man that can't do any more for his child. It's time I let her go."

Kyoko almost cried. Her father's weakness was showing. All these years, he had thought his youngest child hated him. That wasn't true. She wanted to scream. _That's not true, dad! Ritsuko loves you so much. That's why she attended schools without complaints until now. She did it all for you. _

"Kyoko, just leave your father alone. If that is what he decides, we'll let Ritsuko go," Emi piped up. Her voice was shaky but it was the final decision. Kyoko remained silent.

_So I guess imouto-chan is really going to move out. _Kyoko thought sadly, sitting on the sofa.

A/N: This is the revised version of chapter 1. In my opinion, it's better because Seto is in character; I hope so anyway. It's about six and a half pages longer. There's more characterization on Ritsuko's part . Although, in this version, Ritsuko is more depressing. But then again, there's more humor in this chapter. Hope you like the difference. Please review.


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